Miami judge calls Google, Apple legal spats ‘a business strategy’

Robert Scola, a Miami U.S. District Judge, had lots to say about Google and Apple during a patent dispute between the two. Judge Scola accused the two tech giants of having “no interest in efficiently and expeditiously resolving this dispute” and instead using such proceedings “as a business strategy.”

This frustration stems from a long drawn out case between the two companies that has gone on for almost three years. In that time, the state has had to parse through 180 claims. It’s taken such an absorbent amount of time that it’s gotten to the point that both companies have agreed to narrow things down. Of course, this sudden change in pace has pissed off the Miami Judge, he said to both parties “without a hint of irony, the parties now ask the court to mop up a mess that they made,” adding that he would “decline this invitation.”

Damn.

Judge Scola’s new proposal is for both Google and Apple to use four months to hash out their differences, going through the 100+ claims themselves. Judges are beginning to be increasingly annoyed with all these ridiculous patent disputes. It’s time consuming and petty. The simple solution for all of this is to license and compete with each other on innovation.